Common Problems & Fixes
Something in your garden, your soil, or your home is not right, and you want a clear answer from someone who understands the science behind it. That is what this section is for.
I take the everyday problems people search for, a sick tree, a smelly compost bin, plants that keep dying, brown marks on leaves, and I explain what is causing them and exactly what to do, in plain language.
I am an environmental biologist, so these are not lifestyle tips. Each guide explains the real science underneath your problem, then gives you practical steps you can take today. No jargon, no lectures. Scroll down to the problem that sounds like yours.
1. Tree & Garden Problems
Your tree looks sick, it stopped growing, it is dropping leaves at the wrong time of year, or your plants keep dying no matter what you do. This section works through the most common tree and garden problems people run into.
Learn how to read the early signs of stress, how to tell a struggling plant from a dying one, and how to choose plants and trees that will actually thrive where you live.
Each guide draws on my field research measuring how trees respond to stress, so the advice is grounded in real observation rather than guesswork.
2. Soil & Compost Problems
Your compost smells terrible, nothing breaks down, or your soil has gone hard, grey and lifeless and nothing grows properly in it.
This section explains what is happening beneath the surface, from the microbes that drive decomposition to the balance that keeps soil alive. Learn how to read what your compost or soil is telling you and how to bring it back into good health.
This is my core area. My training is in biogeochemistry, the study of how carbon, nitrogen and life cycle through soil, so these guides explain the real biology behind the fix.
3. Air Quality Problems
Brown marks appear on your leaves after hot sunny days, your garden struggles near a busy road, or your eyes and throat sting when you garden in summer. Invisible air pollution affects plants and people more than most people realise.
This section explains ground-level ozone and other pollutants in plain terms, how to recognise their effects, and what you can do to protect your plants and yourself.
I ran an open-air ozone field experiment on trees, so this is a subject I have measured directly rather than only read about.
4. Wood Heating Problems
Your fire fills the room with smoke, your firewood burns through fast without much heat, or you are spending a fortune on wood and the house is still cold.
This section explains the science of burning wood well, from moisture content to how much usable heat different fuel actually holds. Learn why these problems happen and how to get more warmth from less wood.
My background is in plant biology and biogeochemistry, which covers how plants build biomass and how that stored energy is released when wood burns. These guides explain what is really going on inside your stove.